Palm Beach Opera’s free Opera Forum events are designed to facilitate an in-depth exploration of this season’s operas. Sessions focus on music, the rich meanings of opera in contemporary contexts, and the history of this season’s works. PBO is pleased to welcome guest scholars and community leaders to exchange ideas in this interdisciplinary series. Meetings will take place at the Delray Beach Public Library and the Mandel Public Library.
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE
Opera Forum: Reviving Shakespeare in the Operatic Tradition
Gardens Branch, Sunday, January 12, 3:00-4:00
Opera in an Hour: Roméo et Juliette
Get ready for Palm Beach Opera’s opening production of the 2025 Season by discovering the highlights of Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.
Mandel Public Library, Jan. 18, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
LA TRAVIATA
Opera Forum: Violetta’s Paris
mtn space, Feb. 8, 6-7 p.m.
Panelists: TBA
Opera in an Hour: La traviata
Discover the music and drama of Palm Beach Opera’s second production of 2025 by following Parisian courtesan Violetta as she gives up her glamorous life for love, only to fall victim to social expectations and failing health.
Mandel Public Library, Feb. 15, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Interpreting Verdi’s Characters in La traviata
Join Palm Beach Opera for a discussion about the depiction of terminal illness in opera. Our panelists will discuss interpretations of Giuseppe Verdi’s heroine and those around her as she battles consumption and social expectations in nineteenth-century Paris.
Garden Branch, Feb. 16, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Opera Forum: The Historical Characters behind Verdi’s La traviata
Learn about the people and places who inspired the story of Violetta Valéry and her tragic end, and why the story had personal significance to Giuseppe Verdi.
Delray Beach Public Library, Feb. 19, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Opera Forum: Guest Scholar Lecture
Presented by guest scholar, Jessica Waldoff, Professor of Music at the College of the Holy Cross and internationally recognized scholar of late 18th century music, this discussion gives an in-depth look into the opera’s history and its meaning to its first audiences.
Gardens Branch PBCPL, March 31, 3:00-4:00 p.m
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
